Born Into Blindness

In the first chapter of Emma, the main character Emma Woodhouse, plays matchmaker for her in-home caregiver. Miss Taylor, the caregiver, benefited from being at the center of Emma’s matchmaking, but at the expense of Emma. “The want of Miss Taylor would be felt every hour of every day. She recalled her past kindness—the kindness, the affection of sixteen years—how she had devoted all her powers to attach and amuse her in health—and how nursed her through the various illnesses of childhood” (Austen 362). As stated in the beginning of the chapter, Emma’s mother had passed away long ago. Jane Austen describes and establishes the impact that Miss Taylor had on Emma’s life and the love they shared. Emma’s father

Jane Austen is often considered to have one of the most compelling narrative voices in literature. Blurring the line between third and first person, Austen often combines the thoughts of the narrator with the feelings and muses of the focalized character. Emma is perhaps her most prominent example of free indirect discourse, where the narrator’s voice is often diffused into that of the characters. In the following passage, Emma takes on her role at match-maker between Mr. Elton and Harriet Smith, two naïve and somewhat air-headed characters in the novel.

A typical Austen heroine has main obstacles where they need to overcome their social status but for Emma, she is already a woman who is placed in high regard. The novel begins "Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich,” (1 Emma). Emma is a woman who seems to be born to be a heroine. She is handsome, clever and rich. She has the characteristics of a

Austen’s novel uncovers several basics and elements that she herself might have experienced in her life. The influence of her timeless literature is endlessly left in significance for determining her novels that were published in the early part of the nineteenth century, which honored her descriptions and depiction of everyday life.

In eighteenth century which feminist in social status was not popular by that time, author can only through literature to express her thought and discontented about society. Jane Austen’s Emma advocates a concept about the equality of men and women. Also satirizes women would depend on marriage in exchange to make a living or money in that era. By the effect of society bourgeois, Emma has little self-arrogant. She is a middle class that everyone could admire, “Young, pretty, rich and clever”, she has whatever she needs. She disdains to have friends with lower levels. However, she is soon reach satisfaction with matchmaking for her friend. Story characterizes a distorted society images and the superiority of higher class status. It

In a novel overflowing with misconstrued romance, “Emma” by Jane Austen succeeds in misleading the readers, as well as the actual characters on the matter of who is really in love with whom. Although it is teeming with romantic dialogue, the characters have a tendency to misunderstand confessions of love, as well as comments made in passing concerning the secret feelings of others. Through forms of narration and dialogue, Jane Austen forces the reader to interpret these subtexts and draw conclusions concerning the actual romantic intensions of her complex characters, while also deceiving readers on an adventure of romantic deception.

The role of women in a patriarchal society is one of the most heavily enforced themes in ‘Emma’ and ‘Clueless’. Austen places great emphasis on how the dominance of men over women was of great importance within the patriarchal social structure of the regency period. Heckerling reimagines ‘Emma’, to show the ways that this perspective has been altered over the next century. Emma and Cher are both products of their own patriarchal, class-driven societies; they are affluent and repressed as women, which leads Emma Woodhouse- the heroine of Jane Austen’s “Emma”- to turn to charity and match-making to fill in her time along with domestic chores, painting and playing the piano, and Cher Horowitz - the

Her father [Mr. Bennet], captivated by youth and beauty, and that appearance of good humour which youth and beauty generally give, had married a woman whose weak understanding and illiberal mind had very early in their marriage put an end to all real affection for her. (Austen 339).

In Emma Jane Austen exposes the limitations of the role of women in her society. Examine Austen’s presentation of what is called in the novel, women’s usual occupations of eye, and hand, and mind. Emma – Role of Woman In Emma Jane Austen exposes the limitations of the role of women in her society.

While Elizabeth is assessing Mrs. Clay, Austen uses words like “tolerably pretty” and “disfigured” to create a shallow and superficial tone. The shallow tone Austen uses to depict Elizabeth leads the reader to dislike Elizabeth for judging people solely on physical appearance. Austen uses this dislike of Elizabeth to paint Anne in a favorable light. Thus, influencing the reader’s feelings towards Anne. In addition to using the reader’s dislike of Elizabeth to make Anne seem more favorable, Austen uses words like “pleasing manners” and “acute mind” to describe Anne’s thoughts about Mrs. Clay.

Though at first glance, Emma appears to be a generic romantic novel about virtue and ladyhood, Austen actually challenges what the meaning of “ladyhood” is to the reader. We view Emma’s follies, trials, and triumphs through the eyes of the omnipotent narrator who first describes Emma as a stereotypical, wealthy young lady who is “handsome, clever…with…a happy disposition” (1). Through the use of irony, Austen employs a series of situations in which Emma, a “lady” of high standing within her community, challenges conventional thinking of what it means to be a young woman in the early nineteenth century, particularly her ideas concerning marriage and

The start of the novel begins with a description of Emma and her social standing. “Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly twenty-one years in the world with very little to distress or vex her (5).” By doing this Austen allows the reader to get a glimpse of Emma Woodhouse from the very beginning.

Austen creates a dynamic community through the way characters engage and behave against traditional and established conventions. Highbury’s isolation from the rest of England suggests boredom and loneliness will simultaneously follow. Conversely, this lays the foundation for future drama and conflict to follow. One large source of gossip is stirred by the letter written from mysterious Frank Churchill to Mrs Weston. Such communication between Highbury and the ‘outside’ makes this matter significant as Frank threatens the harmony and social order of Highbury. As a result “every morning visit in Highbury included some mention of the handsome letter”. The ability to listen and retell, is necessary for Emma’s community in order to avoid the dull seclusion. Mrs Elton is another cause for trivial issues, who tries to raise her social status level to that of Emma. Her snobbery is emphasised in Emma’s thoughts when described as a person

Emma Woodhouse lives comfortably with a happy disposition as most members of higher society do and she enjoys testing her match making skills on her new friend Harriet. Unlike most women of her time, Emma has no desire to get married and thinks a little too highly of herself. Being accepted into the higher social class depended on how distinguished the family was, owning large properties, education, and large incomes without labor (Palmer). Economics and social standing was taking into higher account than romantic attraction when it came to marriage during that time period. In the novel, Mr. Elton marries Augusta Hawkins because of her new found wealth, however because the Hawkins family is not well establsihed they're considered to be a "nobody", and the new couple is not accepted into high society (Palmer).

This image and atmosphere of mundane imperfection is a far cry from what Emma expects after reading the romantic novels she smuggled in at the convent. From those foppish texts she gathers the impression that ladies such as she should be “lolling on carriages” or “dreaming on sofas,” or perhaps embracing some dashing “young man in a short cloak” (Flaubert 32). Yet such is not the reality in which she lives.